• Mail addressed to Army personnel must show full name, including first name and middle name or initial, and unit number.

• Mail addressed to Air Force personnel must show full name, including first name and middle name or initial, and PSC or unit number.

• Mail addressed to Navy and Marine Corps personnel must show full name, including first name and middle name or initial, and PSC number for shore-based units, or ship name.

• All Navy ships and Marine mobile units must have a 9-digit ZIP Code

• Mail sent to dependents residing in overseas areas must be addressed in care of the sponsor.

Include the unit and APO/FPO/DPO address with the 9-digit ZIP Code (if one is assigned). For example:

CPT JOHN DOE
UNIT 2050 BOX 4190
APO AP 96278-2050

SGT ROBERT SMITH
PSC 802 BOX 74
APO AE 09499-0074

SEAMAN JOSEPH SMITH
USCGC HAMILTON
FPO AP 96667-3931

MSG JANE DOE
CMR 1250
APO AA 09045-1000

Be sure to INCLUDE A RETURN ADDRESS!

It highly recommended to place an identical shipping label inside the parcel in case something happens to the original shipping label on the outside of the parcel.
All Navy ships and Marine mobile units must have a 9-digit ZIP Code.
Never include the country name on the last line of the address label or the customs declaration form. For example:

CORRECT
SGT. SMITH
UNIT 2340, BOX 132
APO AE 09350

INCORRECT
SGT Smith*
UNIT 2340, BOX 132
APO AE 09350
Bahgdad Iraq

All parcels must be addressed to someone specific; addressing mail to �gAny Service Member is no longer permitted.

Military ZIP Codes correspond to specific geographic locations:

For further information, you may find the following links helpful:

USPSR APO/FPO/DPO Guidelines
MPSA Military Mail FAQ

Know the Restrictions for APO/FPO/DPO Shipments

All APO/FPO/DPO destinations have restrictions on package contents. By knowing these ahead of time, you can help your packages to be delivered successfully. To find out the specific restrictions for your package, the USPSR has a searchable database:
http://postcalc.usps.com/Restrictions.aspx

General restrictions may include:

1. Certain types of food or beverages
2. Religious materials, other than for personal use
3. Entertainment products
4. Size and weight restrictions
5. Addressing mail to “Any Service Member” is not allowed.  You must address packages to a specific person.

Extreme seasonal temperatures and bad weather may occur at the package destination.  Be sure to consider this to help ensure that package contents arrive as intended.
Check the weather:
http://about.usps.com/news/service-alerts/business-weather-updates.htm

CUSTOMS DECLARATION FORMS
When shipping to an APO/FPO/DPO address, you will be required to fill out a customs form. Customs forms are available at any post office or online at:
www.usps.com/ship/customs-forms.htm

Parcels addressed to an APO/FPO/DPO must bear a properly completed PS Form 2976, Customs Declaration CN 22; or if the customer prefers, a PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note CP 72, if:

• The parcel weighs 16 ounces or more (regardless of its contents, value, shape, or mail class)

• The parcel contains goods (regardless of weight, shape, or mail class)

CUSTOMS DECLARATIONS EXCEPTIONS

The following are exceptions to the customs declaration requirement for APO/FPO/DPO parcels:

• Known mailers are exempt from providing customs documentation on non-dutiable letters, and printed matter weighing 16 ounces or more. A known mailer is a business mailer who enters volume mailings through a business mail entry unit (BMEU) or other bulk mail acceptance location, pays postage through an advance deposit account, uses a permit imprint for postage payment, and submits a completed postage statement at the time of entry that certifies the parcels contain no dangerous materials that are prohibited by postal regulations.

• All federal, state, and local government agencies whose mailings are regarded as “Official Mail” are exempt from providing customs documentation on mail addressed to an APO/FPO/DPO except for those APO/FPO/DPOs to which restriction “B2” applies as required in the Restriction Legend of the “Overseas Military/Diplomatic Mail” section of the (http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/welcome.htm)

• Prepaid mail from military contractors is exempt, providing the parcel is endorsed “Contents for Official Use Exempt from Customs Requirements.”

For more information regarding Customs form requirements for military mail you may find the following link helpful (Refer to section 703.2.3.6 and 2.3.7): (http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/703.htm#1113810)